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Manuscript Tablatures and Partbooks up to the 17th Century

The manuscript tablatures and partbooks of the Bavarian State Library up to the 17th century are in addition to the music printings and the choirbooks the third and final type of the universal music collection owned by the dukes of Bavaria in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The earliest manuscripts date back to the 15th century. The sources, most of which originated in southern Germany, came into the possession of the Court Library in various ways: the foundation was laid in 1583 when Duke Wilhelm V purchased the library of the Augsburg councillor Johann Heinrich Herwart. Another part of the collection was formerly in monastic possession. In the early 19th century, the last music manuscripts of this stock group finally reached the Court Library. The collection comprises a total of 66 signatures and, in addition to sacred vocal works, mainly secular genres such as chansons, songs and madrigals as well as intabulations for organ and lute have been handed down. The digital copies can also be accessed with our Partbook-Viewer.

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